User interface for a control device

ABSTRACT

A battery-powered control device may be configured to control an amount of power delivered to one or more electrical loads and provide various feedback associated with the control device and/or the electrical loads. The feedback may indicate a low battery condition and/or the amount of power delivered to the one or more electrical loads. The control device may include a light bar and/or one or more indicator lights for providing the feedback. The control device may operate in different modes including a normal mode and a low battery mode.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 17/553,890, filed Dec. 17, 2021, which is acontinuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No.16/683,645, filed Nov. 14, 2019, which issued as U.S. Pat. No.11,234,300 on Jan. 25, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/613,105, filed Jun. 2,2017, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,524,333 on Dec. 31, 2019, whichclaims the benefit of Provisional U.S. Patent Application No.62/345,449, filed Jun. 3, 2016, and Provisional U.S. Patent ApplicationNo. 62/356,288, filed Jun. 29, 2016, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

A load control system may include one or more electrical loads that auser can control via a load control device. These electrical loads mayinclude, for example, lighting loads, HVAC units, motorized windowtreatment or projection screens, humidity control units, audio systemsor amplifiers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and/or the like. Theelectrical loads may have advanced features that may be controlled viathe load control device. For example, the load control device may beused to control a lighting load to emit light of varying intensitiesand/or colors. A traditional load control device generally has a verysimplistic user interface. For instance, there is usually no feedbackmechanism for informing a user of the load control device about the typeand/or amount of control being applied, and/or the operational status(e.g., battery status) of the load control device. A battery-poweredload control device also frequently encounters difficulties in extendingthe life of the battery.

Accordingly, having a more sophisticated load control device willimprove a user's experience in an advanced load control system. Forexample, a load control device equipped with a user interface withfeedback capabilities will not only allow a user to more preciselycontrol the electrical loads associated with the load control device,but also keep the user informed about the status of the electrical loadsand/or the load control device itself. As another example, abattery-powered load control device (e.g., a remote control device) thatis capable of waking up to display feedback only upon detecting a user'spresence within close proximity of the load control device can prolongbattery life and extend the usage time of the load control device. Aload control device with one or more of the aforementioned features mayalso be more aesthetically appealing to a user.

SUMMARY

As described herein, a battery-powered control device may be providedfor controlling an electrical load in a load control system. The controldevice may include a base portion, a battery compartment, a batteryremoval device, a low battery indicator, and a control unit. The baseportion may be configured to be mounted over an actuator of a mechanicalswitch that controls power delivered to the electrical load. The batterycompartment may be configured to store a battery for powering thecontrol device. The battery compartment may be accessible via thebattery removal device. The control unit may be configured to control anamount of power delivered to the electrical load. The control unit maybe further configured to detect a low battery condition and display thelow battery indicator by illuminating one or more light sources. The lowbattery indicator may indicate the low battery condition and thelocation of the battery removal device so that a user may access thebattery compartment to replace the battery.

The battery-powered control device may include one or more light sourcesconfigured to be illuminated to indicate an amount of power delivered tothe electrical load. The control device may operate in a normal mode anda low battery mode. During the normal mode, the control device may beconfigured to illuminate the one or more light sources to indicate theamount of power delivered to the electrical load. During the low batterymode, the control device may be configured to stop indicating the amountof power delivered to the electrical load via the one or more lightsources, and illuminate the low battery indicator to indicate the lowbattery condition.

The battery-powered control device may be configured to not display thelow battery indicator when the control device is in an idle mode. Thecontrol device may be capable of determining whether a user of thecontrol device is within close proximity of the control device. Thedetermination may be made based on a signal generated by a capacitivetouch element or an electric field sensing device. Upon determining thata user of the control device is within close proximity of the controldevice, the control device may illuminate the low battery indicator inresponse to detecting a low battery condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an example load control system that includes a pluralityof example control devices.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an example control device that may bedeployed as one of the control devices depicted in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the example control device depictedin FIG. 2 with a control unit detached from a base portion.

FIG. 4 shows rear views of the control unit and the base portiondepicted in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 shows a front exploded view of an example control unit for theexample control device depicted in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 6 shows a rear exploded view of an example control unit for theexample control device depicted in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 7 shows a front view of the example control device depicted in FIG.2 .

FIG. 8 shows another front view of the example control device depictedin FIG. 2 with a light bar fully illuminated.

FIG. 9 shows another front view of the example control device depictedin FIG. 2 with a light bar partially illuminated at a first intensity.

FIG. 10 shows another front view of the example control device depictedin FIG. 2 with a light bar partially illuminated at a second intensity.

FIG. 11 shows an example plot of the intensity of a light bar withrespect to time in order to generate a heartbeat animation.

FIGS. 12A-12C show front views of the example control device depicted inFIG. 2 when a light bar is illuminated to expand and contract in onedirection to provide an intensity indication on the light bar.

FIGS. 13A-13C show another set of front views of the example controldevice depicted in FIG. 2 when a light bar is illuminated to expand andcontract from two end points to provide intensity indications on thelight bar.

FIGS. 14A-14C show another set of front views of the example controldevice depicted in FIG. 2 when multiple portions of a light bar areilluminated to provide intensity indications on the light bar.

FIGS. 15A-15C show another set of front views of the example controldevice depicted in FIG. 2 when multiple portions of a light bar areilluminated to provide intensity indications on the light bar.

FIGS. 16A-16C show another set of example front views of the controlunit 220 when a moving indication is provided on the light bar 226 toinform a user about a present intensity of a lighting load.

FIG. 17 shows a flow diagram of an example control procedureillustrating how the control device depicted in FIG. 2 may be configuredto control and indicate the intensity of one or more lighting loads.

FIG. 18A shows an example front view of the control device depicted inFIG. 2 with a low battery indicator provided on or near a control unitrelease tab.

FIG. 18B shows an example front view of the control device depicted inFIG. 2 with a first way to provide a low battery indicator on a lightbar.

FIGS. 19A-19C show a set of example views of the control device depictedin FIG. 2 with a second way to provide a low battery indicator on alight bar.

FIG. 20 shows a flow diagram of an example operating procedureillustrating how the control device depicted in FIG. 2 may be configuredto operate differently in accordance with different battery powerlevels.

FIG. 21 shows a simplified equivalent schematic diagram for an exampleremote control device that may be deployed as one of the control devicesdepicted in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 22 shows a simplified equivalent schematic diagram for an exampledimmer switch that may be deployed as one of the control devicesdepicted in FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example load control system.As shown, the load control system is configured as a lighting controlsystem 100 for control of one or more lighting loads, such as a lightingload 102 that is installed in a ceiling-mounted downlight fixture 103and a controllable lighting load 104 that is installed in a table lamp105. The lighting loads 102, 104 shown in FIG. 1 may include lightsources of different types (e.g., incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps,and/or LED light sources). The lighting loads may have advancedfeatures. For example, the lighting loads may be controlled to emitlight of varying intensities and/or colors in response to a usercommand.

The lighting control system 100 may include one or more control devicesfor controlling the lighting loads 102, 104 (e.g., controlling an amountof power delivered to the lighting loads). The lighting loads 102, 104may be controlled substantially in unison, or be controlledindividually. For example, the lighting loads may be zoned so that thelighting load 102 may be controlled by a first control device, while thelighting load 104 may be controlled by a second control device. Thecontrol devices may be configured to turn the lighting loads 102, 104 onand off. The control devices may be configured to control the magnitudeof a load current conducted through the lighting loads so as to controlan intensity of the lighting loads 102, 104 between a low-end intensityL_(LE) and a high-end intensity L_(HE), for example.

The control device described herein may be, for example, a dimmer switch110, a retrofit remote control device 112, a wall-mounted control device114, a tabletop remote control device 116, and/or a handheld remotecontrol device 118. The dimmer switch 110 may be configured to bemounted to a standard electrical wallbox (e.g., via a yoke) and becoupled in series electrical connection between a power source (e.g., analternating-current (AC) power source 105 or a direct-current (DC) powersource) and a lighting load that is wired into the control path of thedimmer switch 110 (e.g., such as the lighting load 102). The dimmerswitch 110 may receive an AC mains line voltage V_(AC) from the AC powersource 105, and may generate a control signal for controlling thelighting load 102. The control signal may be generated via variousphase-control techniques (e.g., a forward phase-control dimmingtechnique or a reverse phase-control dimming technique). The dimmerswitch 110 may be configured to receive wireless signals (e.g., from aremote control device) representative of commands to control thelighting load 102 (e.g., the intensity and/or color of the lightingload), and generate respective control signals for executing thecommands. Examples of wall-mounted dimmer switches are described ingreater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,242,150, issued Jul.10, 2007, entitled DIMMER HAVING A POWER SUPPLY MONITORING CIRCUIT; U.S.Pat. No. 7,546,473, issued Jun. 9, 2009, entitled DIMMER HAVING AMICROPROCESSOR CONTROLLED POWER SUPPLY; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,664,881,issued Mar. 4, 2014, entitled TWO-WIRE DIMMER SWITCH FOR LOW-POWERLOADS, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

The retrofit remote control device 112 may be configured to be mountedto a mechanical switch (e.g., a toggle switch 122, a paddle switch, apushbutton switch, a “light switch,” or other suitable switch) that maybe pre-existing in the lighting control system 100. Such a retrofitsolution may provide energy savings and/or advanced control features,for example without requiring significant electrical re-wiring and/orwithout requiring the replacement of existing mechanical switches. As anexample, a consumer may replace an existing lamp with the controllablelighting load 104, switch a toggle switch 122 that is coupled to thelighting load 104 to the on position, install (e.g., mount) the remotecontrol device 112 onto the toggle switch 122, and associate the remotecontrol device 112 with the lighting source 104. The retrofit remotedcontrol 112 may then be used to perform advanced functions that thetoggle switch 122 may be incapable of performing (e.g., such as dimmingthe intensity level of the light output, providing feedback to a user,etc.). As shown, the toggle switch 122 is coupled (e.g., via a serieselectrical connection) between the AC power source 105 and an electricalreceptacle 120 into which the lighting load 104 may be plugged (e.g., asshown in FIG. 1 ). Alternative, the toggle switch 122 may be coupledbetween the AC power source 105 and one or more of the lighting loads102, 104, without the electrical receptacle 120. The retrofit remotecontrol device 112 may be operable to transmit the wireless signals tothe controllable light source 104 for controlling the intensity and/orcolor (e.g., color temperature) of the controllable light source 104.The remote control device 112 may also be configured to transmitwireless signals for control of other electrical loads, such as forexample, the volume of a speaker and/or audio system, the position of amotorized window treatment, the setpoint temperature of a heating and/orcooling system, and/or a controllable characteristic of anotherelectrical load or device.

The wall-mounted remote control device 114 may be configured to bemounted to a standard electrical wallbox and be electrically connectedto the AC power source 105 for receiving power. The wall-mounted remotecontrol device 114 may be configured to receive a user input and maygenerate and transmit a control signal (e.g., control data such as adigital message) for controlling the lighting loads 102, 104 in responseto the user input. The tabletop remote control device 116 may beconfigured to be placed on a surface (e.g., an end table or nightstand), and may be powered by a direct-current (DC) power source (e.g.,a battery or an external DC power supply plugged into an electricaloutlet). The tabletop remote control device 116 may be configured toreceive a user input, and may generate and transmit a signal (e.g., adigital message) for controlling the lighting loads 102, 104 in responseto the user input. The handheld remote control device 118 may be sizedto fit into a user's hand, and may be powered by a direct-current (DC)power source (e.g., a battery or an external DC power supply pluggedinto an electrical outlet). The handheld remote control device 118 maybe configured to receive a user input, and may generate and transmit asignal (e.g., a digital message) for controlling the lighting loads 102,104 in response to the user input. Examples of battery-powered remotecontrols are described in greater detail in commonly assigned U.S. Pat.No. 8,330,638, issued Dec. 11, 2012, entitled “Wireless Battery PoweredRemote Control Having Multiple Mounting Means,” and U.S. Pat. No.7,573,208, issued Aug. 11, 2009, entitled “Method Of Programming ALighting Preset From A Radio-Frequency Remote Control,” the entiredisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The control devices described herein (e.g., the dimmer switch 110 and/orremote control devices 112-118) may each include one or more lightsources (e.g., LEDs) configured to be illuminated to provide feedback toa user of the control device. Such feedback may indicate, for example, astatus of the lighting loads 102, 104 such as whether the lighting loadsare on or off, a present intensity of the lighting loads, and so on. Thefeedback may indicate a status of the control device itself such as apower status of the control device (e.g., remaining battery power). Thefeedback may indicate to the user that the control device istransmitting control signals (e.g., RF signals) in response to anactuation of the control device. The control device may be configured tokeep the one or more light sources illuminated while the conditiontriggering the feedback continues to exist. The control device may beconfigured to illuminate the one or more light sources for a few seconds(e.g., 1-2 seconds) and then turn off the light sources (e.g., toconserve battery life).

The control devices may be configured to be dim (e.g., not illuminated)the one or more light sources so that no feedback is provided when thecontrol devices are in an idle state. The control devices may thenilluminate the one or more light sources to provide the feedback inresponse to detecting a user within close proximity of the controldevices. Such detection may be based on, for example, a finger hoveringnear a front surface of the control devices. The presence of the usermay be detected, for example, via a capacitive touch element or anelectrical field sensor comprised in the control devices.

The control devices may each include a control circuit. The controlcircuit may be configured to be responsive to a user input and generatecontrol data (e.g., a control signal) for controlling the lighting loads102, 104 based on the user input. The control data may include commandsand/or other information (e.g., such as identification information) forcontrolling the lighting loads 102, 104. The control circuit may beconfigured to illuminate the one or more light sources to provide thefeedback described herein.

One or more of the control devices may include a wireless communicationcircuit (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) transmitter) operable to transmitand/or receive wireless signals such as RF signals 108. The wirelesssignal may be used to transmit control data (e.g., a digital message)generated by the control devices to the lighting loads 102, 104 or to acentral controller of the lighting control system 100, for example. Thelighting loads 102, 104 may be associated with a control device during aconfiguration procedure such that the lighting loads 102, 104 may beresponsive to control signals transmitted by the control device. Toillustrate, the association may be accomplished by actuating an actuatoron the concerned lighting loads, and then actuating (e.g., pressing andholding) an actuator on the control device for a predetermined amount oftime (e.g., approximately 10 seconds). Examples of a configurationprocedure for associating a control device with an electrical load isdescribed in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent PublicationNo. 2008/0111491, published May 15, 2008, entitled “Radio-FrequencyLighting Control System,” the entire disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

The control devices may each include a memory. The memory may be used,for example, to store operational settings associated with the controldevice and/or the lighting loads 102, 104. The memory may be implementedas an external integrated circuit (IC) or as an internal circuit (e.g.,as part of a control circuit).

The load control system 100 may include one or more of a remoteoccupancy sensor or a remote vacancy sensor (not shown) for detectingoccupancy and/or vacancy conditions in a space surrounding the sensors.The occupancy or vacancy sensors may be configured to transmit digitalmessages to the lighting loads 102, 104 (e.g., via the RF signals 108)in response to detecting occupancy or vacancy conditions. Examples of RFload control systems having occupancy and vacancy sensors are describedin greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,940,167, issuedMay 10, 2011, entitled “Battery Powered Occupancy Sensor,” U.S. Pat. No.8,009,042, issued Aug. 30, 2011, entitled “Radio Frequency LightingControl System With Occupancy Sensing,” and U.S. Pat. No. 8,199,010,issued Jun. 12, 2012, entitled “Method And Apparatus For Configuring AWireless Sensor,” the entire disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

The load control system 100 may include a remote daylight sensor (notshown) for measuring a total light intensity in the space around thedaylight sensor. The daylight sensor may be configured to transmitdigital messages, such as a measured light intensity, to the lightingloads 102, 104 such that the lighting loads may be operable to adjusttheir respective intensities in response to the measured lightintensity. Examples of RF load control systems having daylight sensorsare described in greater detail in commonly assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/727,956, filed Mar. 19, 2010, entitled “WirelessBattery-Powered Daylight Sensor,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/727,923, filed Mar. 19, 2010, entitled “Method Of Calibrating ADaylight Sensor,” the entire disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

The load control system 100 may include other types of input devices,for example, radiometers, cloudy-day sensors, temperature sensors,humidity sensors, pressure sensors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxidedetectors, air-quality sensors, security sensors, proximity sensors,fixture sensors, partition sensors, keypads, kinetic or solar-poweredremote controls, key fobs, cell phones, smart phones, tablets, personaldigital assistants, personal computers, laptops, time clocks,audio-visual controls, safety devices, power monitoring devices (such aspower meters, energy meters, utility submeters, utility rate meters),central control transmitters, residential, commercial, or industrialcontrollers, or any combination of these input devices.

Greater detail about the control devices (e.g., the dimmer switch 110and/or remote control devices 112-118) will be provided herein withexamples of a retrofit remote control device (e.g., such as the retrofitremote control device 112 of FIG. 1 ). It should be appreciated,however, that features described herein in association with the retrofitremote control device may be applicable to other types of controldevices, including wall-mounted dimmer switches (e.g., such as thedimmer switch 110), wall-mounted remote control devices (e.g., such asthe wall-mounted remote control 114), tabletop remote control devices(e.g., such as the tabletop remote control 116), handheld remote controldevices (e.g., such as the handheld remote control 118), and/or thelike.

It should be further appreciated that although FIG. 1 depicts a loadcontrol system with one lighting load, the system may include morelighting loads, other types of lighting loads, and/or other types ofelectrical loads. For example, the load control system may include oneor more of the following: a dimming ballast for driving a gas-dischargelamp; an LED driver for driving an LED light source; a dimming circuitfor controlling the intensity of a lighting load; a screw-in luminaireincluding a dimmer circuit and an incandescent or halogen lamp; ascrew-in luminaire including a ballast and a compact fluorescent lamp; ascrew-in luminaire including an LED driver and an LED light source; anelectronic switch, controllable circuit breaker, or other switchingdevice for turning an appliance on and off, a plug-in load controldevice, controllable electrical receptacle, or controllable power stripfor controlling one or more plug-in loads; a motor control unit forcontrolling a motor load, such as a ceiling fan or an exhaust fan; adrive unit for controlling a motorized window treatment or a projectionscreen; one or more motorized interior and/or exterior shutters; athermostat for a heating and/or cooling system; a temperature controldevice for controlling a setpoint temperature of a heating, ventilation,and air-conditioning (HVAC) system; an air conditioner; a compressor; anelectric baseboard heater controller; a controllable damper; a variableair volume controller; a fresh air intake controller; a ventilationcontroller; one or more hydraulic valves for use in radiators andradiant heating system; a humidity control unit; a humidifier; adehumidifier; a water heater; a boiler controller; a pool pump; arefrigerator; a freezer; a television and/or computer monitor; a videocamera; a volume control; an audio system or amplifier; an elevator; apower supply; a generator; an electric charger, such as an electricvehicle charger; an alternative energy controller; and/or the like.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example control device 200 that maybe deployed as the dimmer switch 110 and/or the retrofit remote controldevice 112 (e.g., a battery-powered rotary remote control device) in thelighting control system 100. The control device 200 may be configured tobe mounted over an actuator of a standard light switch 202 (e.g., thetoggle switch 122 shown in FIG. 1 ). The control device 200 may beinstalled over of an existing faceplate 206 that is mounted to the lightswitch 202 (e.g., via faceplate screws 208). The control device 200 mayinclude a base portion 210 and a control unit 220 (e.g., a controlmodule) that may be operably coupled to the base portion 210. Thecontrol unit 220 may be mounted over the base portion 210, and supportedby the base portion 210. The control unit 220 may include a rotatingportion 222 (e.g., an annular rotating portion) that is rotatable withrespect to the base portion 210. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of thecontrol device 200 with the control unit 220 detached from the baseportion 210. The base portion 210 may be attached (e.g., fixedlyattached) to a toggle actuator 204 and may be configured to maintain thetoggle actuator 204 in the on position. The toggle actuator 204 may bereceived through a toggle actuator opening 212 in the base portion 210.A screw 214 may be tightened to attach (e.g., fixedly attached) the baseportion 210 to the toggle actuator 204. In this regard, the base portion210 may be configured to prevent a user from inadvertently switching thetoggle actuator 204 to the off position when the control device 200 isattached to the light switch 202. The control unit 220 may be releasedfrom the base portion 210. For example, a control unit release tab 216may be provided on the base portion 210 or on the control unit 220. Byactuating the control unit release tab 216 (e.g., pushing up towards thebase portion or pulling down away from the base portion), a user mayremove the control unit 220 from the base portion 210.

FIG. 4 provides rear views of the base portion 210 and the control unit220 of the control device 200. The control unit 220 may comprise one ormore clips 228 that may be retained by respective locking members 218connected to the control unit release tab 216 when the base portion 210is in a locked position. The one or more clips 228 may be released fromthe respective locking members 218 of the base portion 210 when thecontrol unit release tab 216 is actuated (e.g., pushed up towards thebase portion or pulled down away from the base portion) to put the baseportion 210 in an unlocked position. In an example, the locking members218 may be spring biased into the locked position and may automaticallyreturn to the locked position after the control unit release tab 216 isactuated and released. In an example, the locking members 218 may not bespring biased, in which case the control unit release tab 216 may beactuated to return the base portion 210 to the locked position.

The control unit 220 may be installed (e.g., mounted) on the baseportion 210 without adjusting the base portion 210 to the unlockedposition. For example, the one or more clips 228 of the control unit 220may be configured to flex around the respective locking members 218 ofthe base portion and snap into place, such that the control unit isfixedly attached to the base portion.

The control unit 220 may be released from the base portion 210 to accessa battery compartment (e.g., a battery recess) configured to hold abattery 230 that provides power to the control device 200. The battery230 may be held in place in various ways. For example, the battery 230may be held by a battery retention strap 232, which may also operate asan electrical contact for the batteries. The battery retention strap 232may be loosened by untightening a battery retention screw 234 to allowthe battery 230 to be removed and replaced. Although FIG. 4 depicts thebattery 230 as being located in the control unit 220, it should beappreciated that the battery 230 may be placed elsewhere in the controldevice 200 (e.g., in the base portion 210) without affecting thefunctionality of the control device 200. Further, more than one batterymay be provided. For instance, a spare battery may be provided (e.g.,stored inside the control unit 220) as replacement for the battery 230.

When the control unit 220 is coupled to the base portion 210 as shown inFIG. 2 , the rotating portion 222 may be rotatable in opposed directionsabout the base portion 210 (e.g., in the clockwise or counter-clockwisedirections). The base portion 210 may be configured to be mounted overthe toggle actuator 204 of the switch 202 such that the rotationalmovement of the rotating portion 222 may not change the operationalstate of the toggle actuator 204 (e.g., the toggle actuator 204 mayremain in the on position to maintain functionality of the controldevice 200).

The control unit 220 may comprise an actuation portion 224 or the entirecontrol unit 220 may function as an actuation portion 224. The actuationportion 224 may comprise a part or an entirety of a front surface of thecontrol unit 220. In an example, the control unit 220 may have acircular surface within an opening defined by the rotating portion 222.In another example, the rotating portion 222 and/or the surface of thecontrol unit 220 may have a different shape (e.g., oval, square,hexagonal, etc.). The actuation portion 224 may occupy a part or anentirety of the circular surface (e.g., as a center button occupying acentral area of the circular surface). The actuation portion 224 may beconfigured to move in toward the light switch 202 (e.g., move towardsthe base portion 210 along an axis perpendicular to the base portion210) to actuate a mechanical switch (not shown) inside the control unit220 (e.g., as will be described in greater detail below). The actuationportion 224 may return (e.g., move away from the base portion 210 alongan axis perpendicular to the base portion 210) to an idle position afterbeing actuated. As the actuation portion 224 moves in and out relativeto the base portion 210, the rotating portion 222 may maintain itsposition (e.g., remain in a same plane parallel to the plane of the baseportion 210) or move in and out with the actuation portion 224. In anexample, the front surface of the actuation portion 224 may be a touchsensitive surface (e.g., a capacitive touch surface). The touchsensitive surface may be realized by including a touch sensitive element(e.g., a capacitive touch element or an electrical field sensor) near(e.g., adjacent to) the rear surface of the actuation portion. The touchsensitive element may be actuated in response to a touch of the touchsensitive surface of the actuation portion 224 or upon detection of auser in the proximity of the touch sensitive surface.

The control device 200 may be configured to transmit one or morewireless communication signals (e.g., the RF signals 108) to a loadregulation device (e.g., such as driver circuits in the lighting loads102, 104). The control device 200 may include a wireless communicationcircuit (e.g., an RF transceiver or transmitter) via which the one ormore wireless communication signals may be sent. The control unit 220may be configured to transmit digital messages via the one or morewireless communication signals. For example, the control unit 220 maycomprise a control circuit configured to be responsive to a movement ofthe actuation portion 224 and/or the rotating portion 222. The controlcircuit may be configured to transmit a command (e.g., a control signal)to raise the intensity of a light source in response to a clockwiserotation of the rotating portion 222 and to transmit a command (e.g., acontrol signal) to lower the intensity of the light source in responseto a counterclockwise rotation of the rotating portion 222. The controlcircuit may be configured to increase or decrease the intensity of thelight source by a predetermined amount in response to a partial rotation(e.g., an approximately 45-degree rotation) of the rotating portion 222in either a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction. Therotating portion 222 may be configured to return to an idle position(e.g., a center position) after the rotation of the rotating portion222.

The control unit 220 may be configured to transmit a command to toggle alight source from off to on, or vice versa, in response to an actuationof the actuation portion 224. For example, the control unit 220 may beconfigured to transmit a command to turn the lighting loads 102, 104 onin response to an actuation of the actuation portion 224 (e.g., if thecontrol unit 220 possesses information indicating that the controllablelight source is presently off). The control unit 220 may be configuredto transmit a command to turn the lighting loads 102, 104 off inresponse to an actuation of the actuation portion 224 (e.g., if thecontrol unit possesses information indicating that the controllablelight source is presently on). The control unit 220 may be configured totransmit a command to turn the controllable light source on to fullintensity in response to a special actuation of the actuation portion224 (e.g., a double tap or two actuations in quick succession). Inexamples, the actuation portion 224 may include separate parts forturning the lighting loads 102, 104 on and off. For instance, theactuation portion 224 may include an on button in the upper half of theactuation portion 224 and an off button in the bottom half of theactuation portion 224. The control unit 220 may be configured totransmit a command to turn the lighting loads 102, 104 on in response toan actuation of the on button and to turn the lighting loads 102, 104off in response to an actuation of the off button.

The control unit 220 may be configured to adjust the intensity of alighting load to a minimum intensity in response to rotation of therotating portion 222 and may only turn off the lighting load in responseto an actuation of the actuation portion 224. Alternatively oradditionally, the control unit 220 may be configured to include aspin-to-off mode, in which the control unit 220 may turn off thelighting load after the intensity of the lighting load is controlled toa minimum intensity in response to a rotation of the rotating portion222. The minimum intensity at which the lighting load is to be turnedoff may be configured by a user. The control unit 220 may be configuredto transmit a command (e.g., via one or more wireless communicationsignals such as the RF signal 118) to adjust the color of a light source(e.g., the lighting loads 102, 104).

Although description of the various operations provided herein refersgenerally to the control device 200 and/or the control unit 220, it willbe appreciated that the various operations may be carried out via one ormore electrical components comprised in the control device 200 or thecontrol unit 220. For instance, the control unit 220 may comprise acontrol circuit configured to be responsive to a movement of theactuation portion 224 and/or the rotating portion 222. The controlcircuit may be configured to generate control data (e.g., a controlsignal) for controlling a controllable light source in accordance withthe functions described herein for the actuation portion 224 and/or therotating portion 222. The control circuit may be configured to cause thecontrol data to be transmitted to the controllable light source (e.g.,via a wireless communication circuit). The control circuit may beconfigured to trigger a feedback event (e.g., by illuminating a lightbar, as described herein) in response to a user manipulation of thecontrol device 200. The control circuit may be configured to provide thefeedback only in the presence of a user (e.g., when the user is withinclose proximity of the control device 200). The control circuit may beconfigured to detect and indicate that the battery power of the controldevice 200 is low.

The control unit 220 may comprise one or more visual indicators that maybe illuminated to provide feedback to a user of the control device 200.The feedback may indicate an operational state (e.g., battery status, anoperating parameter or setting, an operational mode, etc.) of thecontrol device 200 and/or an electrical load controlled by the controldevice 200. For example, the feedback may indicate an intensity of alighting load controlled by the control device 200. The one or morevisual indicators may be illuminated by a single light source (e.g., asingle LED) or by a plurality of light sources (e.g., multiple LEDs).For example, the one or more visual indicators may be implemented as alight bar 226 (e.g., that is illuminated by one or more LEDs). The lightbar 226 may be placed in various locations of the control device 200,such as between the rotating portion 222 and the actuation portion 224(e.g., attached to a periphery of the actuation portion 224). The lightbar 226 may extend along the perimeter of the rotation portion 222and/or the actuation portion 224, and/or be configured to move with theactuation portion 224 (e.g., when the actuation portion is actuated).The light bar 226 may have different shapes and/or other geometricproperties. For example, the light bar 226 may form a complete orpartial loop, the light bar 226 may be linear (e.g., substantiallylinear), the light bar 226 may have an irregular shape such as anirregular curve or twist, and/or the like. As referenced herein, a loopcan be but is not required to be circular or curving. A complete loopmay form a circle (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ), an oval, arectangle, a triangle, a star, a diamond, etc., and a partial loop mayinclude one or more parts of the forgoing structures.

FIG. 5 is a front exploded view and FIG. 6 is a rear exploded view of anexample control unit 300 for a control device (e.g., the control unit220 of the control device 200 shown in FIGS. 2-4 ). The control unit 300may be configured to be operably coupled to and supported by a baseportion of the control device (e.g., such as the base portion 210 of thecontrol device 200). The base portion may be mounted over a toggleactuator of a standard light switch.

The control unit 300 may comprise an annular rotating portion 310 (e.g.,such as the rotation portion 222) and an actuation portion 312 (e.g.,such as the actuation portion 224) that may be received within anopening defined by the rotating portion. The control unit 300 mayfurther comprise a light bar 314 (e.g., a circular light bar) attachedto the actuation portion 312 around a periphery of the actuationportion. The rotating portion 310 may comprise an inner surface 316having tabs 318 surrounding the circumference of the rotation portion.The tabs 318 may be separated by notches 320 that are configured toreceive engagement members 322 of the actuation portion 312 to thusengage the actuation portion 312 with the rotating portion 310. Thecontrol unit 300 may also comprise a bushing 324 that is received withinthe rotating portion 310, such that an upper surface 326 of the busingmay contact lower surfaces 328 of the tabs 318 inside of the rotatingportion.

When the actuation portion 312 is received within the opening of therotating portion 310, the light bar 314 may be provided between theactuation portion 312 and the rotating portion 310. When the rotatingportion 312 is rotated, the actuation portion 312 and/or the light bar314 may rotate with the rotating portion. The engagement members 322 ofthe actuation portion 312 may be able to move through the notches 320 ina z-direction (e.g., towards the base portion), such that the actuationportion 312 (along with the light bar 314) may be able to move in thez-direction.

The control unit 300 may further comprise a printed circuit board (PCB)(e.g., a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) 330) that may be arrangedover a carrier 332. The flexible PCB 330 may comprise a main portion 334on which most of the control circuitry of the control unit 300 (e.g.,including a control circuit) may be mounted. The control unit 300 maycomprise a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 336 arranged aroundthe perimeter of the flexible PCB 330 to illuminating the light bar 314.The flexible PCB 330 may comprise a switch tab 338 that may be connectedto the main portion 334 (e.g., via flexible arms 340). The switch tab338 may have a mechanical tactile switch 342 mounted thereto. The switchtab 338 of the flexible PCB 330 may be configured to rest on a switchtab surface 344 on the carrier 332. The carrier 332 may compriseengagement members 346 configured to be received within notches 348 inthe bushing 324. A ring 350 may snap to a lower surface 352 of therotating portion to hold the control unit 300 together. The control unit300 may further comprise clips 354 that may be attached to the carrier332 to allow the control unit to be connected to the base portion.

When the actuation portion 312 is pressed, the actuation portion 312 maymove along the z-direction until an inner surface 358 of the actuationmember actuates the mechanical tactile switch 342. The actuation portion312 may be returned to the idle position by the mechanical tactileswitch 342. In addition, the control unit 300 may comprise an additionalreturn spring for returning the actuation portion 312 to the idleposition.

The control unit 300 may be powered by one or more batteries 360 adaptedto be received within a battery recess 362 (e.g., a battery compartment)in the carrier 332 as shown in FIG. 6 . The batteries 360 may be held inplace by a battery retention strap 364, which may also operate as anegative electrical contact for the batteries and tamper resistantfastener for the batteries. The flexible PCB may comprise a contact pad366 that may operate as a positive electrical contact for the batteries360. The battery retention strap 364 may comprise a leg 368 that ends ina foot 370 that may be electrically connected to a flexible pad 372(e.g., as shown in FIG. 5 ) on the flexible PCB 330. The batteryretention strap 364 may be held in place by a battery retention screw374 received in an opening 376 in the carrier 332. When the batteryretention screw 374 is loosened and removed from the opening 376, theflexible pad 372 may be configured to move (e.g., bend or twist) toallow the battery retention strap 364 to move out of the way of thebatteries 360 to allow the batteries to be removed and replaced.

The control unit 300 may further comprise a magnetic strip 380 locatedon the inner surface 316 of the rotating portion 310 and extendingaround the circumference of the rotating portion. The flexible PCB 330may comprise a pad 382 (e.g., in the form of a wing or a flap) on whicha rotational sensor (e.g., a Hall effect sensor integrated circuit 384)may be mounted. The pad 382 may be arranged perpendicular to the mainportion 334 of the flexible PCB 330 as shown in FIG. 6 . The magneticstrip 380 may comprise a plurality of alternating positive and negativesections, and the Hall effect sensor integrated circuit 384 may comprisetwo sensor circuits operable to detect the passing of the positive andnegative sections of the magnetic strip as the rotating portion 310 isrotated. Accordingly, the control circuit of the control unit 330 may beconfigured to determine the rotational speed and direction of rotationof the rotation portion 310 in response to the Hall effect sensorintegrated circuit 384. The flexible PCB 330 may also comprise aprogramming tab 386 to allow for programming of the control circuit ofthe control unit 330.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the carrier 332 may comprise an actuator opening390 adapted to receive the toggle actuator of the light switch when thecontrol unit 300 is mounted to the base portion. The carrier 332 maycomprise a flat portion 392 that may prevent the toggle actuator of thelight switch from extending into the inner structure of the control unit300 (e.g., if the toggle actuator is particularly long). The flexiblePCB 330 may also comprise an antenna 394 on an antenna tab 396 that maylay against the flat portion 392 in the actuator opening 390 (e.g., asshown in FIG. 5 ).

The load control device described herein may be configured to include afeedback mechanism to inform a user of the load control device about thetype and/or amount of control being applied, a status (e.g., remainingbattery power) of the load control device, and/or an operational stateof one or more electrical loads controlled by the load control device(e.g., on/off state, intensity level, etc.). Providing such a feedbackmechanism may allow a user to more precisely control an electrical load,keep the user informed about the status of the electrical load and/orthe load control device itself, and enhance the aesthetical appeal ofthe load control device.

FIGS. 7-10 show front views of the control device 200 that illustratehow one or more light sources (e.g., LEDs) of the control device 200 maybe illuminated to provide feedback about the control device 200. The oneor more light sources may be controlled to illuminate the light bar 226.The feedback may be associated with various operational aspects of thecontrol device 200 and/or an electrical load controlled by the controldevice 200. For instance, the control device 200 (e.g., a controlcircuit included therein) may be configured to illuminate the light bar226 to indicate the type of control (e.g., intensity control) beingapplied, a direction of the control (e.g., raising or lowering anintensity), and/or an amount of adjustment (e.g., a target intensity)being made.

FIG. 7 shows a front view of the control device 200 when the light bar226 is illuminated to provide the feedback described herein. A controlcircuit of the control device 200 may be configured to provide thefeedback after the control device 200 has been activated (e.g., upondetecting a user near the control device and/or upon an actuation of theactuation portion 224 or rotating portion 222). The feedback mayindicate that the control device 200 is transmitting wirelesscommunication signals (e.g., the RF signals 108) in response to theactivation. The control circuit may keep the light bar 226 illuminatedfor the duration of the event that triggered the feedback (e.g., whilethe rotating portion is being rotated). The control circuit may beconfigured to continue to illuminate the light bar 226 for a few seconds(e.g., 1-2 seconds) after the event, and then turn off the light bar 226to conserve battery life.

The light bar 226 may be illuminated to provide the feedback indifferent manners (e.g., different intensities and/or colors) when therotating portion 222 is being rotated to raise or lower the intensity ofthe lighting load. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , the light bar 226may be fully illuminated to and maintained at a maximum light barintensity L_(LB-MAX) (e.g., 100%) when the rotating portion 222 is beingrotated to raise the intensity of the lighting load. The light bar 226may be illuminated to and maintained at an intensity less than themaximum light bar intensity L_(LB-MAX) (e.g., 40%) when the rotatingportion 222 is being rotated to lower the intensity of the lightingload. As another example, the light bar 226 may be illuminated to afirst mid-level light bar intensity L_(LB-MID1) (e.g., 80%) that is lessthan the maximum light bar intensity L_(LB-MAX) when the rotatingportion 222 is being rotated to raise the intensity of the lighting load(e.g., as shown in FIG. 9 ). The light bar 226 may be illuminated to asecond mid-level light bar intensity L_(LB-MID2) (e.g., 40%) that isless than the first mid-level light bar intensity L_(LB-MID1) (and thusless than the maximum light bar intensity L_(LB-MAX)) when the rotatingportion 222 is being rotated to lower the intensity of the lightingload, as shown in FIG. 10 .

Similarly, the light bar 226 may be illuminated with different colors toindicate that the intensity of the lighting load is being raised orlowered. For example, the light bar 226 may be illuminated with a redcolor when the intensity is raised and with a blue color when theintensity is lowered.

The light bar 226 may be illuminated in response to an actuation of theactuation portion 224 to indicate that the lighting load is beingtoggled on or off. For example, the light bar 226 may be illuminated todisplay an animation (e.g., a heartbeat animation) when the lightingload is being toggled on or off. FIG. 11 shows an example plot of theintensity of the light bar 226 with respect to time in order to generatethe animation. For example, the intensity of the light bar 226 may bequickly increased to a first intensity (e.g., the first mid-level lightbar intensity L_(LB-MID1) as shown in FIG. 9 ), quickly decreased to asecond intensity (e.g., the second mid-level light bar intensityL_(LB-MID2) as shown in FIG. 10 ), quickly increased to a thirdintensity (e.g., the maximum light bar intensity L_(LB-MAX) as shown inFIG. 8 ), and then quickly turned off. When the control unit 220 isoperating in a spin-to-off mode, the light bar 226 may also beilluminated to display an animation (e.g., the heartbeat animationdescribed herein) when the intensity of the lighting load has reached aminimum intensity and is being turned off.

The light bar 226 may be illuminated to further indicate an amount ofadjustment being applied to the light intensity. For example, instead ofilluminating the entire light bar 226, the control circuit of thecontrol device 200 may illuminate a portion of the light bar 226, andadjust the length of the illuminated portion in accordance to controlapplied by a user. For example, when the light bar is configured to havea circular shape, the illuminated portion may expand or contract aroundthe circumference of the light bar 226 in response to adjustments of thelight intensity. The control circuit may also be configured to adjustthe intensity of the LED that is illuminating an end point of theilluminated portion to provide fine-tune adjustment of the position ofthe end point of the illuminated portion as will be described in greaterdetail below.

FIGS. 12A-12C show front views of the control device 200 when the lightbar 226 is illuminated to expand and contract in one direction toprovide an indication (e.g., a single indication) of the intensity of alighting load. For example, the control device 200 may include aplurality of light sources (e.g., LEDs) configured to illuminate thelight bar 226. In response to an actuation of the control device 200 toadjust the intensity of the lighting load, the control device 200 (e.g.,the control circuit included therein) may illuminate a subset of thelight sources such that a portion 240 of the light bar 226 isilluminated to indicate the intensity corresponding to the actuation.The illuminated portion 240 may begin at a starting point 242 (e.g., atthe bottom of the light bar 226 as shown in FIG. 12A) and end at an endpoint 244 (e.g., along the circumference of the light bar 226). Thelength and/or intensity of the illuminated portion 240 may be indicativeof the intensity of the lighting load. The subset of light sources maybe illuminated uniformly to a common intensity. Alternatively, thesubset of light sources may be illuminated to different intensities. Forexample, the control circuit may illuminate the end point 244 of theilluminated portion of the light bar 226 to a higher intensity than therest of the illuminated portion and may decrease the intensity of theilluminated portion towards the starting point 242. For example, theilluminated portion of the light bar 226 may display a gradient from thebrightest intensity at the end point 244 to the dimmest intensity at thestarting point 242. This way, a user may still receive feedback based onthe length of the illuminated portion, but less battery power isconsumed to provide the feedback. Alternatively, the dimmest intensitymay be between the end point 244 and the starting point 242.

To illustrate, the control circuit of the control device 200 may beconfigured to increase the length of the illuminated portion 240 (e.g.,cause the end point 244 of the illuminated portion to move in aclockwise direction as shown in FIGS. 12A-12C) when the intensity of thelighting load is being raised. The control circuit may be configured todecrease the length of the illuminated portion 240 (e.g., cause the endpoint 244 of the illuminate portion to move in a counterclockwisedirection as shown in FIGS. 12A-12C) when the intensity of the lightingload is being lowered. This way, the illuminated portion 240 may expandand contract as the intensity of the lighting load is adjusted. Forexample, the light bar 226 may be illuminated to indicate that theintensity of the lighting load is approximately 30% as shown in FIG.12A, approximately 60% as shown in FIG. 12B, and approximately 90% asshown in FIG. 12C. When the lighting load is at full intensity (e.g.,approximately full intensity), the entire light bar 226 may beilluminated. When the control device 200 is configured to controlmultiple lighting loads, and set respective light intensities of themultiple lighting loads to different values, the control device 200 maybe configured to illuminate the light bar 226 to indicate an average ofthe respective intensities of the lighting loads, to indicate theintensity of a lighting load nearest to the control device 200, and/orthe like.

In some examples, the control circuit of the control device 200 may beconfigured to adjust the intensity of the light source illuminating theend point 244 of the illuminated portion 240 to provide fine-tuneadjustment of the position of the end point 244. For example, thecontrol circuit may adjust the intensity of the light source thatilluminates the end point 244 between 1% and 100% to provide fine-tuneadjustment of the position of the end point 244. To illustrate, thecontrol circuit may illuminate the light bar 226 to the length shown inFIG. 12A to indicate that the intensity of the lighting load is atapproximately 30%. At that point, the intensity of the light sourceilluminating the end point 244) may be set at 1%. As the intensity ofthe lighting load is further adjusted toward 40%, the control circuitmay adjust the intensity of the end point 244 between 1% and 100% withfiner granularity to correspond to respective intermediate intensitylevels that are between 30% and 40%. After the intensity of the lightingload reaches 40%, the control circuit may illuminate an additional lightsource (e.g., to 1% intensity) to cause the length of the illuminatedportion to expand. The control circuit may then adjust the intensity ofthe additional light source that is now illuminating the end point 244between 1% and 100% as the intensity of the lighting load is being tunedtowards a next level (e.g., 50%).

The control device 200 may be configured to indicate a last-knownintensity of the lighting load upon receiving a user input to turn onthe lighting load. For example, before the lighting load was turned off,the control circuit 200 may store the intensity of the lighting load ina memory of the control device 200 while quickly decreasing the lengthof the illuminated portion 224 from the end point 244 to the startingpoint 242. Subsequently, when the control device 200 is actuated to turnthe lighting load back on, the control device 200 may illuminate thelight bar 226 to quickly increase the length of the illuminated portion224 to correspond to the previously stored intensity of the lightingload.

In the examples described above, the display of the illuminated portion240 may be obstructed by a user's fingers that are manipulating thecontrol device 200. For instance, as the user rotates the rotatingportion 222 of the control device 200 to adjust the intensity of thelighting load, the user's hand may block the leading edge (e.g., the endpoint 244) of the illuminated portion 240. As a result, the user may notbe able to determine whether the illuminated portion is expanding andcontracting in response to the rotational movement of the rotatingportion 222, and whether the intensity of the lighting load is beingadjusted properly.

The control device 200 (e.g., the control circuit included therein) maycontrol the manner in which the light bar 226 is illuminated to reducethe likelihood that a user's action may interfere with the intensityindication. For example, the control circuit of the control device 200may be configured to cause the end point 244 of the illuminated portion240 (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 12A-12C) to move at a faster or slowerangular speed than that of the rotating portion 222 when the rotatingportion is rotated. To illustrate, a user may, within a unit of time,rotate the rotating portion 222 by x degrees in order to adjust theintensity (e.g., raise or lower) of the lighting load. In response, thecontrol circuit may, within the same unit of time, cause the end point244 of the illuminated portion 240 to move by x+y or x−y degrees (e.g.,in clockwise or counterclockwise direction) such that the leading edgeof the illuminated portion 240 represented by the end point 244 may movefaster (e.g., ahead of) or slower (e.g., lagging behind) the user'shand. This way, despite obstruction by a user's hand, the user may stillnotice changes in the illuminated portion 240 to know that control isbeing applied properly.

When the end point 244 of the illuminated portion 240 is configured tomove faster than (e.g., ahead of) the rotating portion 222, the controlcircuit of the control device 200 may scale the full intensity range ofthe lighting load over less than a 360-degree rotation of the rotatingportion 240 so that the illuminated portion 240 may expand or contractover the entire circumference of light bar 226 as the intensity of thelighting load is being adjusted between the low-end and high-end of anintensity range. For example, the control circuit may be configured toscale the full intensity range of the lighting load over a 210-degreerotation of the rotating portion 222, such that when a rotationalmovement of the rotating portion 222 reaches 210 degrees, theilluminated portion 240 may cover the entire circumference of the lightbar (e.g., 360 degrees) to indicate that the intensity of the lightingload has reaches a maximum intensity. Such a technique may also reducethe amount of rotation required to adjust the intensity of the lightingload between the low-end and the high-end. For example, the user may beable to adjust the intensity over a greater range with less wristmovement.

The control device 200 (e.g., a control circuit included therein) may beconfigured to illuminate a portion of the light bar 226 and cause thelength of the illuminated portion to expand and contract (e.g.,simultaneously from both end points of the illuminated portion) toindicate the intensity of the lighting load. The illuminated portion maybe illuminated uniformly to a common intensity. Alternatively, differentsections of the illuminated portion may be illuminated to differentintensities. For example, the end point 244 of the illuminated portionof the light bar 226 may be illuminated to a higher intensity than therest of the illuminated portion and the intensity of the illuminatedportion may be decreased towards the starting point 242. This way, auser may still receive feedback based on the length of the illuminatedportion, but less battery power is consumed to provide the feedback.

FIGS. 13A-13C show example front views of the control unit 220 when anilluminated portion 250 of the light bar 226 is controlled to expand andcontract from both end points 254A, 254B of the illuminated portion 250to indicate the intensity of a lighting load. As shown, when the controldevice 200 is manipulate to raise the intensity of the lighting load,the control circuit of the control device 200 may cause end points 254A,254B of the illuminated portion 250 to move (e.g., simultaneously) inrespective clockwise and counterclockwise directions such that thelength of the illuminated portion 250 is extended to indicate that thelight intensity is being raised. Similarly, when the control device 200is manipulate to lower the intensity of the lighting load, the controlcircuit may cause end points 254A, 254B of the illuminated portion 250to move (e.g., simultaneously) in respective counterclockwise andclockwise directions such that the length of the illuminated portion isshortened to indicate that the light intensity is being lowered. Forexample, the light bar 226 may be illuminated to indicate that thepresent intensity of the lighting load is approximately 20% as shown inFIG. 13A, approximately 60% as shown in FIG. 13B, and approximately 90%as shown in FIG. 13C. When the lighting load is at a full intensity(e.g., approximately full intensity), the end points 254A, 254B may meetat the top of the light bar 226, such that the light bar 226 is fullyilluminated. The amount and/or speed of movement at end points 254A,254B may be the same or may be different. The illuminated portion 250may be centered around a vertical axis of the control device 200 whenthe control device is installed. As such, the illuminated portion 250may provide multiple intensity indications (e.g., on both the left halfand the right half of the light bar 226). Using such a mechanism, thelikelihood of a user's hand obstructing the intensity indication may bereduced.

In the example shown in FIGS. 13A-13C, when the control device 200 isactuated (e.g., via the actuation portion 224) to turn the lighting loadon, the light bar 226 may be illuminated to quickly increase the lengthof the illuminated portion 250 (e.g., from both end points 254A, 254B)to correspond to a last-known intensity of the lighting load before thelighting load was turned off. The control circuit of the control device200 may be configured to store the last-known intensity of the lightingload in memory before the lighting load is turned off. When the controldevice 200 is actuated (e.g., via the actuation portion 224) to turn thelighting load off, the light bar 226 may be controlled to quicklydecrease the length of the illuminated portion 250 (e.g., from both endpoints 254A, 254B toward the center of the illuminated portion 250) toindicate that the lighting load is being turned off. Prior to decreasingthe length of the illuminated portion 250, the control device 200 may beconfigured to store the intensity of the lighting load in memory.

The control device 200 (e.g., a control circuit included therein) may beconfigured to illuminate multiple portions of the light bar 226 toprovide multiple indications of the intensity of the lighting load.FIGS. 14A-14C show example front views of the control unit 220 whenmultiple portions of the light bar 226 are illuminated to show multipleintensity indications on the light bar 226. For example, the light bar226 may be illuminated to generate a first illuminated portion 260A toindicate the intensity of the lighting load on a first portion of thelight bar 226 (e.g., on the left half of the light bar 226) and a secondilluminated portion 260B to indicate the intensity of the lighting loadon a second portion of the light bar 226 (e.g., on right half of thelight bar 226). The control circuit of the control device 200 may adjustthe lengths, colors, and/or brightness levels of the illuminatedportions 260A, 260B in response to changes in the intensity of thelighting load. The lengths, colors, and/or brightness levels of theilluminated portions 260A, 260B may indicate the intensity of thelighting load. The illuminated portions 260A, 260B may be illuminateduniformly to a common intensity. Alternatively, different sections ofthe illuminated portions 260A, 260B may be illuminated to differentintensities. For example, the control circuit may illuminate end points264A, 264B of the illuminated portions 260A, 260B to a higher intensitythan the rest of the illuminated portions and may decrease the intensityof the illuminated portion towards the bottom of the light bar 226. Thisway, a user may still receive feedback based on the lengths of theilluminated portions 260A, 260B, but less battery power is consumed toprovide the feedback.

As shown in FIGS. 14A-14C, the illuminated portions 260A, 260B may startfrom different starting points, e.g., 262A and 262B, respectively. Thestarting point 262A may be at the bottom of the light bar 226. Thestarting point 262B may be at the top of the light bar 226. The firstilluminated portion 260A may end at the end point 264A on the left halfof the light bar 226, and the second illuminated portion 260B may end atthe end point 264B on the right half of the light bar 226. As such, theilluminated portions 260A, 260B may occupy positions of the light bar226 that are diagonally across from each other (e.g., the illuminatedportions may be centered along a diagonal axis of the control device 200upon installation).

The first and second illuminated portions 260A, 260B may have identicallengths that indicate the intensity of the lighting load. As theintensity of the lighting load is increased, the end point 264A of thefirst illuminated portion 260A may move along the left half of the lightbar 226 in the clockwise direction to extend the length of the firstilluminated portion 260A, while the end point 264B of the secondilluminated portion 260B may move along the right half of the light bar226 in the clockwise direction to extend the length of the secondilluminated portion 260B. As the intensity of the lighting load isdecreased, the end point 264A of the first illuminated portion 260A maymove along the left half of the light bar 226 in the counterclockwisedirection to shorten the length of the first illuminated portion 260A,while the end point 264B of the second illuminated portion 260B may movealong the right half of the light bar 226 in the counterclockwisedirection to shorten the length of the second illuminated portion 260B.For example, the light bar 226 may be illuminated to indicate that theintensity of the lighting load is approximately 20% as shown in FIG.14A, approximately 60% as shown in FIG. 14B, and approximately 90% asshown in FIG. 14C. When the lighting load is at a full intensity (e.g.,approximately full intensity), end point 264A may meet starting point262B at the top of the light bar 226, and end point 264B may meetstarting point 262A at the bottom of the light bar 226, such that thelight bar 226 is fully illuminated.

In the example shown in FIGS. 14A-14C, when the control device 200 isactuated (e.g., via the actuation portion 224) to turn the lighting loadon, the light bar 226 may be illuminated to quickly increase therespective lengths of the illuminated portions 260A, 260B from startingpoints 262A, 262B to end points 264A, 264B such that the lengths of theilluminated portions 260A, 260B may correspond to a last-known intensityof the lighting load before the lighting load was turned off. Thelast-known intensity of the lighting load may be stored by the controldevice 200 in memory before the lighting load was turned off. When thecontrol device 200 is actuated (e.g., via the actuation portion 224) toturn the lighting load off, the light bar 226 may be controlled toquickly decrease the respective lengths of the illuminated portions260A, 260B (e.g., from end points 264A, 264B toward starting points262A, 262B) to indicate that the lighting load is being turned off.Prior to decreasing the lengths of the illuminated portions 260A, 260B,the control device 200 may be configured to store the intensity of thelighting load in memory.

If the control device 200 is configured to control multiple lightingloads and set different intensities for the multiple lighting loads, thelight bar 226 may be illuminated to indicate an average intensity levelof the lighting loads. Alternatively, the light bar 226 may beilluminated to indicate the highest or lowest intensity among themultiple lighting loads, to indicate a default intensity, e.g.,approximately 50%, to indicate the intensity of a lighting load nearestto the control device 200, etc.

FIGS. 15A-15C show another set of example front views of the controlunit 220 when more than one portion of the light bar 226 is illuminatedto provide multiple intensity indications. As shown, two portions 270A,270B of the light bar 226 may be illuminated. The illuminated portions270A, 270B may occupy locations of the light bar 226 that arehorizontally across from each other (e.g., illuminated portions 270A,270B may be centered along a horizontal axis of the control device). Thecontrol circuit of the control device 200 may adjust the lengths,colors, and/or brightness levels of the illuminated portions 270A, 270Bin response to changes in the intensity of the lighting load. Thelengths, colors, and/or brightness levels of the illuminated portions270A, 270B may indicate the intensity of the lighting load. Theilluminated portions 270A, 270B may be illuminated uniformly to a commonintensity. Alternatively, different sections of the illuminated portions270A, 270B may be illuminated to different intensities. For example, thecontrol circuit may illuminate end points 271A, 271B, 273A, 273B of theilluminated portions 270A, 270B to a higher intensity than the rest ofthe illuminated portions and may decrease the intensity of theilluminated portion 270A, 270B towards the left and right sides of thelight bar 226. This way, a user may still receive feedback based on thelengths of the illuminated portions 270A, 270B, but less battery poweris consumed to provide the feedback.

As shown in FIGS. 15A-15C, in response to the intensity of the lightingload being raised (e.g., via a rotational movement of the rotatingportion 222 in a clockwise direction), the control circuit of thecontrol device 200 may cause each of the illuminated portions 270A, 270Bto expand (e.g., simultaneously at both end points) along thecircumference of the light bar 226 so that the lengths of theilluminated portions 270A, 270B are extended to indicate that theintensity of the lighting load is being raised. When the intensity ofthe lighting load is lowered (e.g., via a rotational movement of therotating portion 222 in a counterclockwise direction), the controlcircuit may cause each of the illuminated portions 270A, 270B tocontract (e.g., simultaneously at both end points) so that the lengthsof the illuminated portions 270A, 270B are shortened to indicate thatthe intensity of the lighting load is being lowered. For example, thelight bar 226 may be illuminated in the aforementioned manner toindicate that the intensity of the lighting load is approximately 10% asshown in FIG. 15A, approximately 60% as shown in FIG. 15B, andapproximately 90% as shown in FIG. 15C. When the lighting load is at afull intensity (e.g., approximately full intensity), the entire lightbar 226 may be illuminated.

In the example shown in FIGS. 15A-15C, when the control device 200 isactuated (e.g., via the actuation portion 224) to turn the lighting loadon, the light bar 226 may be illuminated to quickly increase therespective lengths of the illuminated portions 270A, 270B such that thelengths of the illuminated portions 270A, 270B may correspond to alast-known intensity of the lighting load before the lighting load wasturned off. The last-known intensity of the lighting load may be storedby the control device 200 in memory before the lighting load was turnedoff. When the control device 200 is actuated (e.g., via the actuationportion 224) to turn the lighting load off, the light bar 226 may becontrolled to quickly decrease the respective lengths of the illuminatedportions 270A, 270B (e.g., from respective end points of eachilluminated portion toward the center of the illuminated portion) toindicate that the lighting load is being turned off. Prior to decreasingthe lengths of the illuminated portions 270A, 270B, the control device200 may be configured to store the intensity of the lighting load inmemory.

In one or more of the examples shown in FIGS. 13A-15C, the controlcircuit of the control device 200 may be configured to adjust theintensity of the light sources illuminating the end points of theilluminated portions (e.g., the illuminated portions 250, 260A, 260B,270A, 270B) to provide fine-tune adjustment of the positions of the endpoints. For example, the control circuit may adjust the intensity of thelight sources that illuminate the endpoints (e.g., end points 254A,254B, 264A, 264B, 271A, 271B, 273A, 273B) between 1% and 100% to providefine-tune adjustment of positions the end points. To illustrate, thecontrol circuit may illuminate portions of the light bar 226 to specificlengths to indicate that the intensity of the lighting load is atapproximately 30%. At that point, the intensity of the light sourcesilluminating the end points may be set at 1%. As the intensity of thelighting load is further adjusted toward 40%, the control circuit mayadjust the intensity of the end points between 1% and 100% with finergranularity to correspond to respective intermediate intensity levelsbetween 30% and 40%. After the intensity of the lighting load reaches40%, the control circuit may illuminate additional light sources (e.g.,to 1% intensity) to cause the lengths of the illuminated portions toexpand. The control circuit may then adjust the intensity of the lightsources that are now illuminating the end points between 1% and 100% asthe intensity of the lighting load is being fine-tuned toward a nextlevel (e.g., 50%).

FIGS. 16A-16C show another set of example front views of the controlunit 220 when a moving indication is provided on the light bar 226 toinform a user about the present intensity of the lighting load. Themoving indication 280 may be provided, for example, by alternatelyilluminating different subsets of the included light sources (e.g.,different individual LEDs) in response to adjustments of the lightintensity. Illuminating subsets of the light sources as opposed toilluminating an increasingly large number of light sources may reducethe amount of power (e.g., battery power) required for provided theintensity feedback. To illustrate, when the intensity of the lightingload is at the low-end, the control circuit may illuminate a lightsource (e.g., a single LED) located at the bottom of light bar 226 toprovide the indication 280 near the bottom of the light bar 226. As thelight intensity is increased, the control circuit may illuminatedifferent individual light sources (e.g., different individual LEDs)located along the circumference of the light bar 226 in succession sothat the indication 280 may move along the light bar 226 in a clockwisedirection, as shown in FIGS. 16A-16C. The position of the indication 280may correspond to the present intensity of the lighting load and as suchmay serve as an indication of the present intensity. For instance, theindication shown in FIG. 16A may indicate that the intensity of thelighting load is approximately 30%, and the indications shown in FIGS.16B and 16C may indicate that the light intensity is approximately 60%and 90%, respectively. Similarly, when the light intensity is decreased,the control circuit may alternately illuminate the different individuallight sources (e.g., the different individual LEDs) in an oppositedirection (e.g., a counterclockwise direction) to indicate that thelight intensity is being lowered.

The indication 280 described above may be controlled to movecontinuously around the circumference of the light bar 226 or skiparound the circumference in discrete steps to provide feedback about anamount of power delivered to an electrical load. For example, thecontrol device 200 may be configured to control an electrical load thepower of which can only be controlled to discrete levels. One suchelectrical load may be a ceiling fan with four speeds (e.g., a fullspeed and three intermediate speeds). As a result, the control circuitof the control device 200 may control the amount of power delivered tothe fan to four discrete levels (e.g., 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%)corresponding to the four speeds. In such scenarios, the control circuitof the control device 200 may provide feedback about the amount of powerdelivered to the fan (e.g., regarding the speed of the fan) byilluminating discrete segments of the light bar 226. For instance, inresponse to setting the power delivered to the fan to 25%, the controlcircuit may illuminate a first set of light sources (e.g., a first LED)located near the 90-degree position of the light bar 226. In response tosetting the power delivered to the fan to 50%, the control circuit mayilluminate a second set of light sources (e.g., a second LED) locatednear the top (e.g., the 180-degree position) of the light bar 226.Similarly, feedback for 75% power and 100% power may be provided at the270-degree and 360-degree positions of the light bar 226, respectively.

FIG. 17 shows a flow diagram of an example control procedure 400illustrating how the control device 200 may be configured to control andindicate the intensity of one or more lighting loads. The controlcircuit of the control device 200 may perform the control procedure 400periodically, for example, each time the control circuit receives asignal indicative of a user input. The control circuit may start at 410,and receive a signal at 412 indicating that a rotational movement of therotating portion 222 has been applied by a user. In response to thesignal, the control circuit may, at 414, determine a correspondingintensity for the one or more lighting loads. The determination may bemade, for example, by querying the one or more lighting loads (e.g.,requesting a current intensity level from the lighting loads) or using alast-known intensity stored by the control device 200. Further, thecontrol circuit may determine, at 416, feedback to be provided to theuser. For example, when the determined intensity falls between ahigh-end intensity and a low-end intensity, the control circuit mayilluminate the light bar 226 as described herein to indicate thedetermined intensity. The control circuit may then transmit, at 418, acontrol signal to the lighting load(s) (e.g., via a wirelesscommunication circuit, either directly or indirectly via a systemcontroller) to cause the lighting load(s) to adjust their intensitiesaccordingly. When the determined intensity is at the high-end or thelow-end, the control circuit may act differently and/or provideadditional feedback to the user. For example, the control circuit may beconfigured to provide additional feedback to alert the user that theintensity of the lighting load(s) has reached a maximum or minimumvalue. The feedback may include, for example, a haptic feedback, avisual feedback (e.g., strobing the light bar 226), an audible feedback(e.g., playing a special sound), and/or the like. Further, the controlcircuit may be configured to not transmit a control signal to thelighting load(s) since the intensity is already at the boundary of theintensity range.

The control device 200 (e.g., the control circuit included therein) maybe configured to dim (e.g., turn off) the light bar 226 when the controldevice 200 is in an idle state (e.g., to conserve battery). The controldevice 200 may be configured to enter such an idle state, for example,upon detecting that a user of the control device is no longer withinclose proximity of the control device 200 or that no actuation of thecontrol device has been applied for a certain time period. Subsequently,when the control device 200 detects an actuation of the control device200 and/or determines that a user has entered the vicinity of thecontrol device 200, the control device 200 may illuminate the light bar226 to indicate the intensity of one or more lighting loads controlledby the control device 200.

The control device 200 may include a capacitive touch element or anelectric field sensor (e.g., installed in or behind a front surface ofthe control device) that is capable of detecting a user's presence nearthe control device. For example, the control device may dim the lightbar 226 (e.g., turn off the light bar 226) when the control device 200is in the idle state. As a user walks close to the control device 200and/or reaches for the control device 200 (e.g., before the useractually makes physical contact with the control device 200), thecapacitive touch element or the electric field sensor may sense theproximity of the user, and signal that to the control circuit. The exactdistance (e.g., between the user's finger or hand and the control device200) that may trigger the signaling may vary, for example, depending onthe property of the capacitive touch element or the electric fieldsensor employed. In response to receiving the signaling, the controlcircuit may illuminate the light bar 226 to provide an indication of thepresent intensity of the lighting load. If the lighting load is in anoff state when the user reaches for the control device 200, the controldevice 200 may not illuminate the light bar 226 or the control device200 may illuminate the light bar 226 to reflect a last-known intensityof the lighting load before the lighting load was turned off. Thecontrol device may illuminate (e.g., to a low intensity) the light bar226 and/or one or more other light sources (e.g., which may beconfigured to provide backlighting to a front surface of the controldevice 200) so that the control device 200 may become visible to theuser.

The orientation of the control device 200 may be considered whenimplementing the features described herein. For example, the controldevice 200 may be configured to determine its orientation (e.g., via asensor or through programming during association), and control howfeedback is provided based on the determined orientation. In an example,the control device 220 may use the orientation of the control device todetermine which portion of the light bar 226 should be illuminated sothat intensity feedback may be displayed consistently. Examples of acontrol device capable of determining its orientations are described ingreater detail in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/469,427, filed Mar. 24, 2017, entitled “Remote Load Control DeviceCapable of Orientation Detection,” the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

A user of the control device 200 may customize the manner in whichintensity feedback is provided. For example, the user may select, duringa configuration process of the control device 200, which of the feedbackmechanisms shown in FIGS. 7-15C is to be used for intensity indication.Further, although the light bar 226 is shown and described in theexamples as having a substantially circular shape and extending alongthe circumference of the rotating portion 222, it will be appreciatedthat the light bar 226 may have a different shape, location, and/orother geometric properties without affecting the features describedherein. Moreover, the light bar 226 is described herein only as anexample of how feedback may be provided to a user of the control device200. Other feedback mechanisms are also within the scope of thisdisclosure. For example, instead of the light bar 226, a single lightsource (e.g., a single LED) may be illuminated in different manners(e.g., in terms of intensity and/or color) to indicate that theintensity of a lighting load is being raised or lowered.

The control device 200 may be powered by a battery (e.g., such as thebattery 230). The battery may be stored in a battery compartment (e.g.,the battery recess 362). Access to the battery compartment may beprovided via a battery removal device such as the control unit releasetab 216. As described above, a user may actuate the control unit releasetab 216 (e.g., by pushing up toward the base portion 210 or pulling downaway from the base portion 210) to remove the control unit 220 from thebase portion 210. The user may then loosen the battery retention strap232 to remove and replace the battery (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4 ).

The control device 200 may be configured to detect a low batterycondition (e.g., via a battery power sensing circuit) and provide anindication of the low battery condition such that a user of the controldevice 200 may be alerted to replace the battery. Examples of batterypower sensing circuits are described in greater detail in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,950,461, issued Feb. 10, 2015, entitled“Motorized Window Treatment,” the entire disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

The control device 200 may include a low battery indicator that may beilluminated by one or more light sources (e.g., red or other coloredLEDs) to direct a user's attention to a low battery condition and/or thelocation of a battery removal device (e.g., the control unit release tab216). The low battery indicator may be provided on or near the batteryremoval device to highlight the battery removal device. FIG. 18A show anexample front view of the control device 200 with a low batteryindicator provided on or near the control unit release tab 216. Thecontrol unit release tab 216 may include a translucent (e.g.,transparent, clear, and/or diffusive) material and may be illuminated byone or more light sources (e.g., LEDs) located above and/or to the sideof the control unit release tab 216 (e.g., inside the control unit 220).The translucent material may permit the passage of light from the one ormore light sources when illuminated, and remain minimally visible whennot illuminated. The illumination may be steady or flashing (e.g., in ablinking manner) such that the low battery condition may catch a user'sattention. The illumination may also direct the user to the control unitrelease tab 216, which may be used to access the battery compartment toreplace the battery.

The low battery indicator may also be provided via the light bar 226,for example, by illuminating one or more portions of the light bar 226.FIG. 18B shows an example front view of the control device 200 with alow battery indicator provided on the light bar 226. As shown, a bottomportion 272 of the light bar 226 may be illuminated when a low batterycondition is detected. The length of the illuminated portion 272 mayindicate the amount of battery power remaining (e.g., 10%). Todistinguish from the illumination used as intensity feedback, and/or toattract a user's attention, the bottom portion 272 may be illuminatedwith a different color (e.g., via a red LED) and/or a special pattern(e.g., flashing). The control circuit of the control device 200 may beconfigured to stop displaying intensity feedback on the light bar 226and to instead provide the low battery indicator on the light bar 226after determining that a low battery condition has occurred.

FIGS. 19A-19C show example views of the control device 200 illustratinganother way to provide the low battery indicator on the light bar 226.As shown, the control circuit of the control device 200 may beconfigured to, upon detecting a low battery condition, illuminatemultiple portions of the light bar 226 in alternation (e.g., to imitatean animation) to alert a user about the low battery condition and/or todirect the user's attention to the battery removal device (e.g., thecontrol unit release tab 216). For example, after detecting the lowbattery condition, the control circuit may illuminate a first set of twoportions 227A, 227B of the light bar 226 for a brief period. The controlcircuit may then dim (e.g., turn off) the portions 227A, 227B, andilluminate a second set of two portions 227C, 227D of the light bar 226that are located below the portions 227A, 227B. After illuminating theportions 227C, 227D for a brief period, the control circuit may dim(e.g., turn off) those portions, and illuminate a bottom portion 227E ofthe light bar 226 above the control unit release tab 216 to inform theuser of the location of the control unit release tab 216. The controlcircuit may be configured to repeat the foregoing pattern/animationperiodically until the low battery condition is mitigated.

Although the battery removal device and the low battery indicator aredescribed in the examples herein as being located at the bottom of thecontrol device 200, it should be appreciated that the battery removaldevice (e.g., the battery release tab 216) and/or the low batteryindicator may occupy other locations of the control device including,for example, anywhere around the perimeter of the base portion of thecontrol device 200 (e.g., the top or a side of the base portion).Consequently, the illumination pattern shown in FIGS. 19A-19C may beadjusted, for example to point upward or sideways so that a user mayfollow the pattern to locate the battery removal device.

The low battery indicator may also be provided on a front surface of thecontrol device 200 such as a front surface of the actuation portion 224.For example, in response to detecting a low battery condition, thecontrol circuit of the control device 200 may cause an area of the frontsurface of the actuation portion 224 to be backlit (e.g., by one or moreLEDs) to display indicia (e.g., texts or graphics) that alert a userabout the low battery condition. The control circuit may cause theindicia to become dim (e.g., turned off) when the low battery conditionis resolved.

The orientation of the control device 200 may be considered for lowbattery indication. For example, when providing low battery indicationon the light bar 226, the control device 220 may determine itsorientation (e.g., via a sensor or through programming duringassociation), and adjust the illumination pattern/animation illustratedin FIGS. 19A-19C in accordance with the determination to ensure that thepattern/animation points in the direction of the battery removal device(e.g., downward, upward, sideways, etc.).

The control device 200 may adjust its operation based on the amount ofbattery power remaining. FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of an exampleoperating procedure 500 that illustrates how the control device 200 mayoperate differently in accordance with different battery power levels.The control circuit of the control device 200 may be configured toperform the operating procedure 500 periodically, for example, everytime the control circuit of the control device 200 wakes up from an idlestate. As shown, the control device 200 (e.g., a control circuit of thecontrol device) may start at 510, and measure the amount of remainingbattery power at 520 via a battery power sensing circuit. The controlcircuit may determine, at 530, whether the remaining battery power isequal to or above a first power threshold P_(TH1) (e.g., 20% of fullcapacity). If the answer is yes (e.g., there is more than 20% of batterypower left), the control circuit may, at 532, display intensity feedbackon the light bar 226 in response to a user's manipulation of the controldevice 200, as described herein. The control circuit may furthertransmit control signal(s) (e.g., via a wireless communication circuit)to effectuate the intensity adjustment desired by the user. The controlcircuit may be regarded as operating in a normal mode when the remainingbattery power is equal to or above the first power threshold P_(TH1)(e.g., 20% of full capacity). The control circuit may be configured tonot provide a low battery indication while the control circuit isoperating in the normal mode.

If the control circuit determines, at 530, that the remaining batterypower is less than P_(TH1) (e.g., there is less than 20% of power left),the control circuit may further determine, at 540, whether the remainingbattery power is equal to or above a second power threshold P_(TH2)(e.g., 5% of full capacity). If the answer at 540 is yes (e.g., there isless than 20% but more than 5% of power left), the control circuit may,at 542, stop displaying intensity feedback on the light bar 226 inresponse to a user's manipulation of the control device 200 (e.g., inorder to conserve battery power). The control circuit may continue totransmit control signal(s) at this stage via the wireless communicationcircuit. As such, the control functions of the control device 200 mayremain operational. The control circuit may be regarded as operating ina low battery mode when the remaining battery power is below the firstpower threshold P_(TH1) (e.g., 20% of full capacity). The controlcircuit may be configured to provide a low battery indication whileoperating in the low battery mode, as described herein.

If the control circuit determines, at 540, that the remaining batterypower is less than P_(TH2) (e.g., there is less than 5% of power left),the control circuit may, at 544, stop both intensity feedback and thetransmission of control signal(s) in response to a user's manipulationof the control device 200, before exiting at 550. At this stage, thecontrol circuit is substantially shut down (e.g., except to display thelow battery indication).

The control circuit of the control device 200 may be configured to usedifferent mechanisms to provide the low battery indications inaccordance with different levels of remaining battery power. Forexample, the control device 200 may be configured to provide low batteryindications using the light bar 226 (e.g., as described with referenceto FIGS. 18B and 19A-19C) if the remaining battery power is betweenP_(TH1) and P_(TH2). After the remaining battery power falls belowP_(TH2), the control device 200 may provide the low battery indicationson the control unit release tab 216, as shown in FIG. 18A.

The control device 200 may be configured to dim (e.g., turn off) the lowbattery indicator when the control device 200 is in an idle state (e.g.,to conserve battery). As described above, the control device 200 mayenter such an idle state upon detecting that a user of the controldevice is no longer within close proximity of the control device 200 orthat no actuation of the control device has been applied for a certaintime period. Subsequently, when the control device 200 detects anactuation of the control device 200 and/or determines that a user hasentered close proximity of the control device 200, the control device200 may check the remaining battery power and illuminate the batteryindicator in response to detecting a low battery condition (e.g., lessthan 20% battery power remaining). As described herein, the controldevice 200 may include a capacitive touch element or an electric fieldsensor (e.g., installed in or behind a front surface of the controldevice) that is capable of detecting a user's presence near the remotecontrol device. The exact distance (e.g., between the user's hand andthe control device 200) that may trigger the detection may vary, forexample, depending on the property of the capacitive touch element orthe electric field sensor employed. In an alternative implementation,the control device 200 may wake up periodically (e.g., even when no useris detected near the control device 200) to check the remaining batterypower and illuminate the battery indicator in response to detecting alow battery condition.

While the control device 200 has been described with reference to theretrofit remote control device 112 having the rotating portion 222, theactuation portion 224, and the light bar 226, other control devices,such as a wall-mounted dimmer switch, may also be configured withsimilar rotating portions, actuation portions, and light bars asdescribed herein.

The rotating portion 222, the actuation portion 224, and the light bar226 of the control device 200 shown and described herein have circularshapes. However, the rotating portion 222, the actuation portion 224,and the light bar 226 of the control module 200 could have other shapes.For example, the rotating portion 222 and the actuation portion 224 mayeach have a rectangular shape, a square shape, a diamond shape, atriangular shape, an oval shape, a star shape, or any suitable shape.The front surface of the actuations portions 224 and/or the sidesurfaces of the rotating portion 222 may be planar or non-planar. Inaddition, the light bar 226 may have an alternative shape, such as arectangular shape, a square shape, a diamond shape, a triangular shape,an oval shape, a star shape, or any suitable shape. The light bar 226may each be a complete loop, a partial loop, a broken loop, a singlelinear bar, a linear or circular array of visual indicators, and/orother suitable arrangement. The surfaces of the control device 200 maybe characterized by various colors, finishes, designs, patterns, etc.

FIG. 21 is a simplified equivalent schematic diagram of an examplecontrol device 600 (e.g., a remote control device), which may bedeployed as control devices 112, 114, 116, or 118 of the load controlsystem 100, for example. The control device 600 may include a controlcircuit 630, a rotational sensing circuit 632, one or more actuators 634(e.g., buttons and/or switches), a capacitive touch or electric fieldsensing device 636, a wireless communication circuit 638, a memory 640,a battery 642, and/or one or more LEDs 644. The memory 640 may beconfigured to store one or more operating parameters (e.g., such asbattery power thresholds P_(TH1) and P_(TH2)) of the control device 600.The battery 642 may provide power to one or more of the components shownin FIG. 21 .

The rotational sensing circuit 632 may be configured to translate aforce applied to a rotating mechanism (e.g., such as the rotatingportion 222 of the control device 200) into an input signal and providethe input signal to the control circuit 630. The rotational sensingcircuit 632 may include, for example, one or more magnetic sensors(e.g., such as Hall-effect sensors (HES), tunneling magnetoresistance(TMR) sensors, anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) sensors, giantmagnetoresistance (GMR) sensors, reed switches, or other mechanicalmagnetic sensors), a mechanical encoder, an optical encoder, and/or apotentiometer (e.g., a polymer thick film or other resistive trace on aprinted circuit board). The rotational sensing circuit 632 may alsooperate as an antenna of the control device 600. The one or moreactuators 634 may include a button or switch such as the actuationportion 224 of the control device 200. The actuators 634 may beconfigured to send input signal(s) to the control circuit 630 inresponse to actuations of the actuators 634 (e.g., in response tomovements of the actuator 634). The capacitive touch or electric fieldsensing device 636 may be configured to detect a user's presence withinclose proximity of the control device 600, and signal the detection tothe control circuit 630.

It should be noted that, although depicted as including all of therotational sensing circuit 632, the actuators 634, and the capacitivetouch or electric field sensing device 636, the control device 600 mayinclude any combination of the foregoing components (e.g., one or moreof those components).

The control circuit 630 may be configured to translate the input signalsprovided by the rotational sensing circuit 632, the actuators 634,and/or the capacitive touch or electric field sensing device 636 intocontrol data (e.g., digital control signals) for controlling one or moreelectrical loads. The control circuit 630 may cause parts or all of thecontrol data (e.g., digital control signals) to be transmitted to theelectrical loads via the wireless communication circuit 638. Forexample, the wireless communication circuit 638 may transmit a controlsignal including the control data to the one or more electrical loads orto a central controller of the concerned load control system. Thecontrol circuit 630 may illuminated the LEDs 644 to present a light bar(e.g., such as the light bar 226) and/or one or more indicators (e.g.,such as the low battery indicator described herein) to provide feedbackabout various states or conditions of the control device 600 and/or theelectrical loads.

FIG. 22 is a simplified block diagram of an example control device 700(e.g., a dimmer switch) that may be deployed as the dimmer switch 110 ofthe load control system 100. The control device 700 may include a hotterminal H that may be adapted to be coupled to an AC power source 702.The control device 700 may include a dimmed hot terminal DH that may beadapted to be coupled to an electrical load, such as a lighting load704. The control device 700 may include a controllably conductive device710 coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source702 and the lighting load 704. The controllably conductive device 710may control the power delivered to the lighting load. The controllablyconductive device 710 may include a suitable type of bidirectionalsemiconductor switch, such as, for example, a triac, a field-effecttransistor (FET) in a rectifier bridge, two FETs in anti-seriesconnection, or one or more insulated-gate bipolar junction transistors(IGBTs). An air-gap switch 729 may be coupled in series with thecontrollably conductive device 710. The air-gap switch 729 may be openedand closed in response to actuations of an air-gap actuator (not shown).When the air-gap switch 729 is closed, the controllably conductivedevice 710 is operable to conduct current to the load. When the air-gapswitch 729 is open, the lighting load 704 is disconnected from the ACpower source 702.

The control device 700 may include a control circuit 714. The controlcircuit 714 may include one or more of a processor (e.g., amicroprocessor), a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), afield programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), or any suitable controller or processing device. Thecontrol circuit 714 may be operatively coupled to a control input of thecontrollably conductive device 710, for example, via a gate drivecircuit 712. The control circuit 714 may be used for rendering thecontrollably conductive device 710 conductive or non-conductive, forexample, to control the amount of power delivered to the lighting load704.

The control circuit 714 may receive a control signal representative ofthe zero-crossing points of the AC main line voltage of the AC powersource 702 from a zero-crossing detector 716. The control circuit 714may be operable to render the controllably conductive device 710conductive and/or non-conductive at predetermined times relative to thezero-crossing points of the AC waveform using a phase-control dimmingtechnique. Examples of dimmers are described in greater detail incommonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,242,150, issued Jul. 10, 2007,entitled Dimmer Having a Power Supply Monitoring Circuit; U.S. Pat. No.7,546,473, issued Jun. 9, 2009, entitled Dimmer having amicroprocessor-controlled power supply; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,664,881,issued Mar. 4, 2014, entitled Two-wire dimmer switch for low-powerloads, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

The control device 700 may include a memory 718. The memory 718 may becommunicatively coupled to the control circuit 714 for the storageand/or retrieval of, for example, operational settings, such as, batterypower thresholds P_(TH1), P_(TH2). The memory 718 may be implemented asan external integrated circuit (IC) or as an internal circuit of thecontrol circuit 714. The control device 700 may include a power supply720. The power supply 720 may generate a direct-current (DC) supplyvoltage V_(CC) for powering the control circuit 714 and the otherlow-voltage circuitry of the control device 700. The power supply 720may be coupled in parallel with the controllably conductive device 710.The power supply 720 may be operable to conduct a charging currentthrough the lighting load 704 to generate the DC supply voltage V_(CC).

The control circuit 714 may be responsive to inputs received fromactuators 730 and/or a rotational position sensing circuit 740. Thecontrol circuit 714 may control the controllably conductive device 710to adjust the intensity of the lighting load 704 in response to theinput received via the actuators 730 and/or the rotational positionsensing circuit 740.

The rotary position sensing circuit 740 may be configured to translate aforce applied to a rotating mechanism (e.g., such as the rotatingportion 222) into an input signal and provide the input signal to thecontrol circuit 714. The rotational position sensing circuit 740 mayinclude, for example, one or more magnetic sensors (e.g., such asHall-effect sensors (HES), tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors,anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) sensors, giant magnetoresistance(GMR) sensors, reed switches, or other mechanical magnetic sensors), amechanical encoder, an optical encoder, and/or a potentiometer (e.g., apolymer thick film or other resistive trace on a printed circuit board).The rotational position sensing circuit 740 may also operate as anantenna of the control device 700. The actuators 730 may include abutton or switch such as the actuator 224. The actuators 730 may beconfigured to send input signal(s) to the control circuit 714 inresponse to actuations of the actuators 730 (e.g., in response tomovements of the actuators 730). A capacitive touch or electrical fieldsensing device 750 may be configured to detect a user's presence withinclose proximity of the control device 700, and signal the detection tothe control circuit 714. The control circuit 714 may be configured totranslate the input signals received from the actuators 730, therotational position sensing circuit 740, and/or the capacitive touch orelectrical field sensing device 750 into control data (e.g., one or morecontrol signals). Some or all of the control data may be transmitted tothe lighting load 704 or a central controller of the load controlsystem.

It should be noted that, although depicted as including all of therotational sensing circuit 740, the actuators 730, and the touchsensitive device 750, the control device 700 may include any combinationof the foregoing components (e.g., one or more of those components).

The control device 700 may comprise a wireless communication circuit722. The wireless communication circuit 722 may include for example, aradio-frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to an antenna for transmittingand/or receiving RF signals. The wireless communication circuit 722 mayalso include an RF transmitter for transmitting RF signals, an RFreceiver for receiving RF signals, or an infrared (IR) transmitterand/or receiver for transmitting and/or receiving IR signals. Thewireless communication circuit 722 may be configured to transmit acontrol signal that includes parts or all of the control data (e.g., adigital message) generated by the control circuit 714 to the lightingload 704. As described herein, the control data may be generated inresponse to a user input to adjust one or more operational aspects ofthe lighting load 704. The control data may include a command and/oridentification information (e.g., such as a unique identifier)associated with the control device 700. In addition to or in lieu oftransmitting the control signal to the lighting load 704, the wirelesscommunication circuit 722 may be controlled to transmit the controlsignal to a central controller of the lighting control system.

The control circuit 714 may be configured to illuminate visualindicators 760 (e.g., LEDs) to provide feedback about the lighting load704 and/or the control device 700. The visual indicators 760 may beconfigured to form a light bar and/or other types of visual displays.

Although described with reference to a lighting load and an intensity ofthe lighting load, one or more embodiments disclosed herein may be usedwith other electrical loads (e.g., such as an audio system) and forcontrolling an amount of power delivered to those electrical loads(e.g., to thus control the volume of an audio system). A single controlcircuit or multiple control circuits may be adapted to realize thecontrol functionalities described herein.

1. A control device for controlling an electrical load, the controldevice comprising: a base portion; a control unit configured to bemounted over the base portion and to control an amount of powerdelivered to the electrical load; a battery compartment configured tostore a battery for powering the control unit; and a control unitremoval device operable to release the control unit from the baseportion to provide access to the battery compartment; wherein thecontrol unit is further configured to detect a low battery condition andcontrol one or more light sources to illuminate the control unit removaldevice to indicate a location of the control unit removal device inresponse to detecting the low battery condition.
 2. The control deviceof claim 1, wherein the control unit removal device comprises a releasetab configured to provide access to the battery compartment when therelease tab is pulled or pushed.
 3. The control device of claim 1,wherein the control unit is configured to detect the low batterycondition and control the one or more light sources to illuminate thecontrol unit removal device in further response to determining that thecontrol device has been activated.
 4. The control device of claim 3,wherein the control unit is configured to determine that the controldevice has been activated based on detection of a user within closeproximity of the control device.
 5. The control device of claim 4,wherein the control unit further comprises a capacitive touch elementconfigured to detect that a user of the control device is within closeproximity of the control device.
 6. The control device of claim 1,wherein the control unit further comprises a light bar, and the controlunit is configured to illuminate the one or more light sources toilluminate the light bar to indicate the amount of power delivered tothe electrical load when the low battery condition is not detected. 7.The control device of claim 6, wherein the control unit is furtherconfigured to illuminate the one or more light sources to illuminate thelight bar to indicate the low battery condition on the light bar.
 8. Thecontrol device of claim 7, wherein the control unit is configured toilluminate the one or more light sources to illuminate a bottom portionof the light bar to indicate the low battery condition and the locationof the control unit removal device.
 9. The control device of claim 7,wherein the control unit is configured to illuminate the one or morelight sources to display an animation on the light bar, the animationindicating the low battery condition and the location of the controlunit removal device.
 10. A control device for controlling an electricalload, the control device comprising: a base portion; a control unitconfigured to be mounted over the base portion, the control unitcomprising one or more light sources configured to be illuminated toindicate an amount of power delivered to the electrical load, and acontrol circuit configured to generate control data for controlling theamount of power delivered to the electrical load, the control circuitfurther configured to operate in a normal mode and a low battery mode; abattery compartment configured to store a battery for powering thecontrol device; and a control unit removal device operable to releasethe control unit from the base portion to provide access to the batterycompartment; wherein, during the normal mode, the control circuit isconfigured to illuminate the one or more light sources to indicate theamount of power delivered to the electrical load; and wherein, duringthe low battery mode, the control circuit is configured to stopindicating the amount of power delivered to the electrical load via theone or more light sources, and illuminate the one or more light sourcesto illuminate the control unit removal device to indicate the lowbattery condition.
 11. The control device of claim 10, wherein, duringthe low battery mode, the control circuit is configured to illuminatethe control unit removal device in response to determining that thecontrol device has been actuated.
 12. The control device of claim 10,wherein the control device further comprises a rotation portion foradjusting the amount of power delivered to the electrical load, wherein,during the low battery mode, the control circuit is configured toilluminate the control unit removal device in response to a rotationalmovement of the rotation portion.
 13. The control device of claim 10,wherein the control unit is configured to illuminate the control unitremoval device to indicate a location of the control unit removaldevice.
 14. The control device of claim 10, wherein the control unitfurther comprises a light bar, and the control unit is configured to:illuminate the one or more light sources to illuminate the light bar toindicate the amount of power delivered to the electrical load when thelow battery condition is not detected; and illuminate the one or morelight sources to illuminate the light bar to indicate the low batterycondition on the light bar.
 15. The control device of claim 10, whereinthe control circuit further comprises a wireless communication circuit,and wherein, during the low battery mode, the control circuit isconfigured to cause the wireless communication circuit to transmit thecontrol data to the electrical load when remaining power of the batteryis above a threshold level, and stop causing the wireless communicationcircuit to transmit the control data to the electrical load whenremaining power of the battery is below the threshold level.
 16. Acontrol device for controlling an electrical load, the control devicecomprising: a base portion; and a control unit configured to be mountedover the base portion and to control an amount of power delivered to theelectrical load, the control unit configured to determine whether a userof the control device is within close proximity of the control deviceand detect the low battery condition; a battery compartment configuredto store a battery for powering the control device; and a control unitremoval device operable to release the control unit from the baseportion to provide access to the battery compartment; wherein thecontrol unit is further configured to, after determining that a user ofthe control device is within close proximity of the control device,illuminate the control unit removal device to indicate the low batterycondition in response to detecting the low battery condition.
 17. Thecontrol device of claim 16, further comprising a capacitive touchelement configured to detect that a user of the control device is withinclose proximity of the control device.
 18. The control device of claim16, wherein the control unit is configured to illuminate the controlunit removal device to indicate a location of the control unit removaldevice.
 19. The control device of claim 18, wherein the control unitfurther comprises a light bar configured to be illuminated by aplurality of light sources, and wherein the control unit is configuredto, after determining that a user of the control device is within closeproximity of the control device and in response to detecting the lowbattery condition, illuminate the light bar to indicate the low batterycondition on the light bar, the control unit further configured to,after determining that a user of the control device is within closeproximity of the control device and that the low battery condition hasnot occurred, illuminate the light bar to indicate the amount of powerdelivered to the electrical load.
 20. The control device of claim 19,wherein the control unit is configured to provide the low batterycondition on the light bar by illuminating the light bar to display ananimation, the animation indicating the low battery condition and alocation of the control unit removal device.